SPORTS TECH TOKYO World Demo Day Brings the Global Sports Community to San Francisco to Discuss the Impact Technology is Having on Sports

New research finds eSports and fan engagement technologies will have the biggest impact on sports over the next 12 months

SAN FRANCISCO, August 20, 2019 — Scrum Ventures, a U.S.-based venture capital firm, in partnership with Dentsu Inc. is hosting the culminating event for its program, SPORTS TECH TOKYO on Tuesday, August 20th at Oracle Park in San Francisco. A one-day gathering, the event is bringing together global sports thought-leaders, entrepreneurs, mentors and investors to discuss the impact technology is having on the sports industry.

The sports market in North America is expected to grow from $71.2 billion in 2018 to $80.3 billion in 2022, according to PwC Sports Outlook. Further, sports initiatives are taking off in historically underserved regions, such as Japan, whose government aims to grow the market from 5.5 trillion yen in 2015 to 15.2 trillion yen by 2025 as part of its “2016 Japan Revitalization Strategy.”

Ahead of the event, Scrum Ventures conducted a survey of its Mentor team to better understand where the industry is headed in sports technology investment, innovation and impact. The findings reveal that nearly 80 percent of industry professionals believe that fan engagement technologies, such as live streaming and content platforms along with eSports, will make the biggest impact on the sports industry heading into 2020 — both around the world and in Japan, home to several upcoming high-profile sporting events.

“Our research highlights how the industry is evolving as new technologies are rapidly changing the way fans engage and consume sports in today’s connected world,” said Michael Proman, Managing Director at Scrum Ventures. “As a result, the sports community is struggling to keep up with the pace of innovation and tomorrow’s next big thing. This is what we’re addressing at World Demo Day, where we’ve brought together the industry’s best and brightest from around the world to set the direction, build relationships and preview new technologies while discussing the changing world of sports.”

The program will feature keynote speakers and partners representing the diverse landscape of sports tech investment and innovation including:

Opening remarks from program leads including Tak Miyata, Founder and General Partner and Michael Proman, Managing Director at Scrum Ventures along with Fumihiko Nakajima, Senior Director, Business Development at Dentsu Inc.

Special guests including Tim Andree, Member of the Board, Dentsu Inc. and Executive Chairman & CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network along with a selection of core program partners.

World Demo Day: An Industry Wide Celebration

World Demo Day represents the culmination of the mentor-driven program launched last year by Scrum Ventures and Dentsu, SPORTS TECH TOKYO. The program is focused on startups from around the world developing cutting-edge sports technology to reinvigorate underserved, but highly passionate regions, such as Asia, and the global sports industry as a whole.

“Tech investment in the field of sports has been growing globally but with major sporting events coming to Asia, it’s an opportune time for corporations from Japan and beyond to reinvigorate the industry worldwide,” said Fumihiko Nakajima, SPORTS TECH TOKYO Program Owner and Senior Director, Business Development at Dentsu Inc. “Our 12 finalists, hailing from seven different countries, are a perfect representation of the global spirit of the program and the opportunities the world stands to benefit from through global collaboration.”

The SPORTS TECH TOKYO community includes the original startup cohort of 159 companies across 23 countries, its 12 startup Finalists and program stakeholders — including Japanese corporate partners, the sports advisory board, mentors, sponsors, investors and leading sports professionals. This day-long event celebrates the programs accomplishments, will announce a number of break-through initiatives and feature sessions and networking opportunities with industry executives, mentors, and investors.

SPORTS TECH TOKYO is a global community for best-in-class sports tech startups from around the world to connect and innovate with leading corporations. Placing an initial emphasis on developing and deploying cutting-edge solutions in Japan, the program unites companies of varying stages, geographies and industry areas of focus — enabling greater cohesion and collaboration while supporting their respective partnership development and fundraising objectives.

About Scrum Ventures

Scrum Ventures is a seed stage venture firm investing across a range of industries in the U.S. and Asia. Based in San Francisco with extensive experience and networks in both Silicon Valley and Japan, Scrum Ventures accelerates portfolio companies with global opportunities and helps corporations innovate. Scrum Ventures launched Scrum Studios in 2018, as a platform that connects startups and Japanese global corporations. Learn more at https://scrum.vc/